Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1887-07-16

dead There be lay, and his white beard lay
on him like garment and she pointed TO
the spot zsar where ! was sitting; shut surely
be hath long since crumblod into dust, ind
the Wind hath borne his ashes henceS
Here I put out my hand and felt in the
dust, and presently my fingers touched some
thing. II was . single human tooth, vary
yellow, but sound held II up and showed
u to Ayesha. WHO laughed.
''Yes,1 abe said, ut Is his without doubt
Behold what rsmaineth Of Moot and the wis.
dom of Noot-one little tooth. And yet that
man had all life at his command, and for his
conscience's sake would have none OF It.
Well, he lay there newly dead, and we do
scended whittier ! shall lead ye, and then,
gathering up all my courage, and counting
death that might perchance win 80 glorious
crown Of life, stepped into the flames, and
behold life such as ys can never know until
ye feel 10 also flowed into me, and / came
forth undying and lovely beyond imagining.
Then did l stretch out mine arms to thee,
Kallilrates, and bid thee take thine hnmor-
tai bride; and behold, as ] spoke, thou,
blinded by my beauty, didst turn from me,
and throw thine arms about the neck OF
AmenartaA And then q great fury filed mo,
and made me mad, and seized the javelin
that thou didst bear, and stabbed thee, so
that there, ut my very feet. In the place OF
life, thou didst groan and 70 down into
DEATH knew not then that had power to
slay with mine eyes and will, therefore In my
madness slew I with the javelin.
sand when thou vast dead, ahi wept, bo-
cause was undying and thou vast dead. ]
wept there In tho place Of life 20 that had ]
been mortal any more my heart had surely
broken. And she, the swart Egyptian, she
cursed me by her gods BY Osiris did she
curse mo and by Isis, by Nephthys and by
Hekt, by 6ekhst, the toe lion beaded, and by
Set. calling down evil on me, evil and ever
lasting desolation. Ahl I can see her dark
face now lowering DER me like storm, but
she could not hnrt me, and IL know not II
could hurt her. ! did not try; 1t was
naught 10 me then; so between US we bore
thee hence And afterward sent her--the
Egyptian--away through the swamps, and 1t
seems that she lived to bear SON and TO
write the tale that should lead thee, her hus.
band, back to me, her rival and thy muir
deress.
ASuch Is the tale, my love. and now Is the
6ohh az baAtu tuht DuRli 5cb ~ CIOsss sstOH IL.
Like all things on the earth, 1t Is compounded
OF evil and Of good-more Of evil than OF
good, perchance-and writ in letters Of blood
II Is tine truth; naught have hidden from
thee, Kallikrates And now one thing before
the final moment Of thy trial We go down
into the presence Of death, for life and death
are very near together, and-who knows.
that might happen which shov'i separate us
for another spees Of waiting. am but q
woman, and no pFophetess, and cannot read
tho future. Bus this know-for learned it
from the lips Of the wise man Noot-that nv
life 10 but prolonged and made more bright
It cannot 1--we for ay. Therefore before we CO.
tell me, o Kallikrates, that Of truth thou
doss forgive ma, end dost love me from thy
heart See, Kallikrstes; much evil have
done-porohance il was evil but two nights
gone 30 strike that girl who loved thee cold in
desth--but she disobeyed me and angered me,
prophesying misfortune 10 me, and smote
Be careful when power comes 30 thee also lest
thou also shouldst smite In thine anger or thy
jealousy, for inoonquerable strength is sore
weapon IN sAs hands Of srring man Yes, !
. great love have ! sinned-but yet do
know the good from tho evil, nor Is my
heart altogether hardened Thy love, o
Kallikrates, shall be the gate of my re-
demption, even as aforetime my passion
was the path down which ran to evil
For deep love unsatisfied Is tho hell Of noble
hearts and a portion for tho nccursed, but
love that Is mirrored back more perfect from
the soul Of our desires doth fashion wings to
lift us above ourselves, and make US what we
might be. Therefore, Knllikrates, take me
by the hand, and lift my veil with no more
fear than though were some peasant girl,
and NOT tho wisest and most beauteous woman
in this world and look ME in the eyes, and
toll me that thou dost forgive me with oil
thine heart, and that with all thine heart
thou dost worship mes
She paused, and the strange tenderness in
her voice seemed to hover round us like q
memory. know that the sound of it moved
me more even than her words, it was so very
human--so very womanly. Leo, too, was
strangely touched. Hitherto he had been
fascinated against his better Judgment, some
thing as bird is fascinated by snake, but
now think that all this passed away, and
he realized that he really loved this strange
and glorious creature, as, alasl loved her
AlbO Ab any thtc, Saw LEY eyes HI VIII
tears, and he stepped swiftly to her and I'M
did the gauzy veil, and then took her by the
hand, and, gazing into her deep eyes, said
| aloud:
@Ayesha, love thee with all my heart,
and SO far as forgiveness is possible, j forgive
thee the death Of Ustane For the rest, it is
between thee and thy maker; know
naught Of it. I only know that love thee
as / never loved before, and that 4 will
cleave to thee to the end"
SNOW" answered Ayesha, with proud hu-
mility-"now when my lord doth speak thus
| royalty and give with so free hand, it can
not become me TO lag behind in words and be
beggared Of my generosity. BehoidT and
she took his hand and placed it upon her
shapely head, and then bent herself slowly
down till one knee for an instant touched the
ground-"behold, In token Of submission do
bow me to my lord. Behold" and she kissed
him on the lips Sin token Of my wifely love
do kiss my lord Behold, and she laid her
hand upon his heart, "by the si', sinned, by
my lonely centuries Of waiting wherewith il
was wiped out, by the great love wherewith
love, and by the spirit-the eternal thing
that doth beget all life, from whom 1t Gibbs, t.
whom it doth return again. swear.
II swear, even in this first most holy houl
of completed womanhood, / swear that vii
abandon evil and cherish good swear tina
| IL 1.rk NV ze.f,Re ~ II